Index and mail-assorter



(No Model.)

W. H. LODWIOK.

INDEX AND MAIL ASSORTER.

N0. 478,617. Patented July 12, 1892.

Suva V601 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM H. LODVVIOK, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

INDEX AND MAIL-ASSORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,617, dated July 12,1892.

Application filed June 8, 1891. Serial No. 396,545. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. LoDwIoK, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Indices andMail-Assorters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to assorters for miscellaneous paperspreparatory to arranging said papers in the ordinary file, although itis evident it may be used for filing documents of any description; andmy object is to provide a device of this general character which will becheap to manufacture and convenient in use.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the leaves of myassorter-book. Fig. 2 is a reverse perspective view of the same leaf.Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my assorter, showing the leaves boundtogether; and Fig. 4isaperspective view of my assorter in its ordinaryform. Fig. 5 is a View of the modified form of leaf.

I assemble and bind in book form a number of leaves 1, such asI haveshown in' Figs. 1 and 2, corresponding to the quantity of papers whichit is supposable will have to be assorted. These leaves being suitablybound together, a cover 2 is placed upon them, the front leaf of thecover being made shorter than the lower leaf in order to expose theindex-characters 3, which project from the ends of the leaves 1, andwhich characters are or may be either printed directly upon theprojections 5 of the leaves or upon separate tabs and then secured overthe said projections. Preferably I arrange the index-letters in twoseries, there being thirteen indexing-characters in one series andfourteen in the other.

I have here shown an ordinary alphabet index with the addition of a Moindex, and it is obvious that I may, instead of this form of indexinghere used, employ the ordinary vowel index.

One of the most important features of my invention consists in theindex-sheet having integral with it astub 4.-. These leaves are cut outof the size and form desired, with the projections 5 for theindex-characters, enough material having been allowed for the stub to beturned over. These stubs, as is obvious,

In manufacturing the books a large number of pages of each index areprepared with the stubs folded over, and in assemblingthe various pagesthe leaves having the indices are arranged to precede the stubsthroughout the book, the various pages and stubs being secured by firststitching'between the stubs and the leaves and then by stapling orcrossstitching the entire body of leaves and stubs. The outer cover isthen applied in any usual manner.

In use the papers to be assorted are arranged according to the indices,the said papers being placed in position between the stub and the leafproper,the binding causing the papers to be yieldingly clamped in place.

From the fact that the first leaf of the cover is made short enough soas to expose the entire double-column index agreat deal of time will besaved and the assorterrendered much more convenient, as the user may seebefore opening" the book the entire range of the index and then open thesaid assorter-book at the desired place.

As obvious, Various other forms of devices may be used without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

To the cover, as at 6, I secure a suitable hook, which is intended to beused in hanging up the assorter when not in use.

At the end of the various leaves instead of turning the single stub overI may double or triple said stub as many times as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim herein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is asfollows:

An assorting-book provided with a series of leaves, each leaf having anexposed index on the outer end and provided at the opposite end with anintegral inturned double stub, and having a cover one of the leaves ofwhich is shorter than the other, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM H. LODWICK,

Vitnesses:

HENRY NEWBURGH, PHILIP W. LIPPWAN.

